Tag: Trade regulation

The SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology (TCM) of 1996 aims to integrate the transport sector in the region. It places strong emphasis on the commer...

One of the priority areas of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) is the elimination of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to address the impact of these barriers on the cost of doing bus...

Regional and especially economic integration holds potential and strong benefits for Africa. But this is true only if Africa could succeed in identifying a successful formula to co...

Obama Administration to Expand Trade Africa Initiative U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and trade ministers from the East African Community (EAC) marked a milestone for Tr...

There is an almost universal agreement that the rules of origin (ROO), as designed mainly to stop trade deflection or ‘imports sneaking through the back door’ in preferential t...

Five years have now elapsed since the Heads of State of the five East African Community (EAC) partner states (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) signed the Protocol on th...

The Constitution of the Republic of Namibia contains in Article 144 a provision which purports to make international agreements part of the national law. It reads: Unless otherwis...

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will get a new Tribunal. This will happen because the Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government so decided. SADC has been witho...

tralac has been involved in a unique capacity building exercise this year. We have been asked to assist the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (Germany’s National Metrology In...

The SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government takes place this week (17-18 August 2014). This occasion presents an important opportunity for decisive deliberations on an integra...

The World Bank reports that Ghana is a medium sized country in west Africa, with a land area of around the same size as the United Kingdom or Uganda. The reported population i...

Trade facilitation referrs to the simplification, harmonisation, standardisation and modernisation of trade procedures. It encompasses policies designed to reduce trade transaction...

Rules of Origin (RoO) are instruments used to determine the real source and economic origin of traded goods. Different types of RoO however serve different objectives. Non-preferen...

Export taxes are increasingly becoming a focus of attention in South African trade policy, and the objective of this paper is to review the trade and economic issues associate...

There are sound reasons why African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have been designed as rules-based trade arrangements. Firstly, they have to function in terms of the GATT r...

The suspension in 2010 of the SADC Tribunal has left a serious gap in the functioning of the Organization. The integrity and operations of SADC are affected if it is impossible for...

Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies says a draft of the next iteration of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) has been prepared. Minister Davies was addressing a post S...

COMESA Court orders a refund of customs duties to a small company In a landmark case, the COMESA Court of Justice has decided that the Government of Mauritius, by imposing a custo...

The accession of South Africa into the ‘BRICS’ formation has attracted wide attention internationally. Some welcomed the step while others questioned it. A closer look at BRICS...

At the recent SADC Summit for Heads of State and Government, which took place from 17 to 18 August 2013, in Lilongwe, Malawi, an important decision on the future of the SADC Tribun...